New START and Iran: A Non-Starter

Congressional sources say that the Obama Administration has pulled out all the stops in its lobbying campaign to secure Senate approval of the New START Treaty by warning Israel’s supporters in Congress that failure to approve the treaty will undermine Israeli security by causing Russia to reduce its support for measures to pressure Iran. The Administration has been aided by the National Jewish Democratic Council, which issued a statement on Thursday that resembled Chicken Little’s panic about the sky falling: “Can anyone deny that Russian cooperation is essential to ensuring a nuclear-free Iran? Can anyone deny that not passing START will be a dramatic blow to U.S.-Russian relations – and a disaster in terms of our Iran policy? Where is the outcry?”

This begs the question of why a treaty that the administration argues benefits both countries equally is perceived by Moscow to be such an advantageous step that it would withhold cooperation on Iran if it does not receive the benefits of the treaty. Moreover, Moscow is unlikely to agree to another round of U.N. sanctions on Iran anyway, even if New START is approved by the Senate.

Intelligence officials also have assisted the administration by telling Congress that if the treaty is not ratified, then intelligence-gathering satellites now dedicated to missions over Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran would be redeployed to monitor Russian military facilities. But this line of argument exaggerates the importance of the 18 annual inspections allowed under the treaty. Paula DeSutter, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance and Implementation, noted that: “Eighteen spot inspections a year is not going to fill the gap left by inadequate NTM [national technical means] capabilities. If we want better coverage of Russia’s strategic threats, we are going to have to launch more satellites.”

One would think that the satellites would be assigned to gather intelligence on the highest priority threats, but apparently the administration is willing to indulge in such scare tactics to mobilize support for New START. If the administration really does perceive Russia to be a greater threat to American lives than Iran or the ongoing carnage in Afghanistan and Iraq, then it should rethink New START altogether.

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James Phillips is the senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He has written extensively on Middle Eastern issues and international terrorism since 1978. Read his research.

The treaty does not address other nuclear armed or suspected nuclear armed nations such as China, India, Pakistan, Great Britain, France, Israel, North Korea, or Iran.

To weaken the United States in the face of known threats from all nations for a treaty with one nation, Russia, is beyond comprehension.

The the great effort to push it through now indicates it has no chance in the next congress. This alone should raise warning signs and flashing lights in every citizen. If it is so good now it should remain just as good in January.

The treaty does not address other nuclear armed or suspected nuclear armed nations such as China, India, Pakistan, Great Britain, France, Israel, North Korea, or Iran.

To weaken the United States in the face of known threats from all nations for a treaty with one nation, Russia, is beyond comprehension.

The the great effort to push it through now indicates it has no chance in the next congress. This alone should raise warning signs and flashing lights in every citizen. If it is so good now it should remain just as good in January.

The threat to relocate spy satellites from spying on Iran to spying on Russia if the START Treaty is not approved is a fallacy in logic, making the argument for approving the START Treaty much weaker. If this fallacy of logic is the best argument that the Obama administration can mount, the treaty might well fail to get Senate approval.

I hope that it fails to get approval in the Senate. It seems that if this administration can't succeed in destroying us one way, there are other destructive things they can try. It's a very dangerous time for America.

When you see things like this treaty, or the quantitative easing by the fed. It almost feels like they are trying to bring the country to its knees on purpose! George Washington has to be rolling in his grave! Its like they don't care what we want! Only what's popular…. Because I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me! lol

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